NEC Awareness Day
Raising Awareness
Nashville, Tennessee –
Senator Bo Watson has introduced a state resolution recognizing May 17, 2026, as “Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Day” in Tennessee.
Necrotizing enterocolitis, also known as NEC, is the most common cause of death in hospitalized premature infants after two weeks of age. NEC causes a severe inflammatory process that can lead to intestinal tissue damage and death, and once NEC is diagnosed, many babies only live for a few hours or days.
Thousands of babies develop NEC each year, and hundreds of babies die from this complex intestinal disease. Babies born prematurely or with a medical complication, like congenital heart disease, are most at risk of NEC, and babies who survive NEC often have lifelong neurological and nutritional complications.
The risk of NEC cannot be fully eliminated, and there are not yet sure ways to stop or cure NEC. There is an urgent need to increase research, education, and advocacy surrounding NEC.
Jenn and Jesse Bray led the initiative to introduce NEC Awareness Day to the state. In November of 2023, their son, Brooks, was born at 23 weeks gestation, weighing just under two pounds. A few weeks later, Brooks was having one of his best days since birth, but then later that same night, everything changed. Jenn and Jesse rushed to the hospital and found their son, Brooks, had become very sick very fast. NEC was suspected, but before a diagnosis could be made, Brooks tragically passed away within the hour, surrounded by love.
In their grief, Jenn and Jesse discovered the NEC Society, the world’s leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing NEC research, education, and advocacy.
Since tragically losing their son, Jenn and Jesse have been transforming their pain into power by advocating for NEC Awareness in their home state of Tennessee.
Dr. Martin Blakely, Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt, and a NEC Society Board Member, shares, “As a pediatric surgeon, I have witnessed the devastation of NEC and am compelled to do all I can to help prevent this cruel disease. I am honored to serve on the NEC Society’s Board and collaborate with families to protect all babies from NEC.”
The NEC Society is grateful to Senator Watson for introducing the NEC Awareness Day Resolution to the state of Tennessee. “Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Awareness Month in May is a time to recognize the vulnerability of premature and medically fragile infants and the profound impact this disease has on families.
In Tennessee, we are proud to recognize May 17 as NEC Awareness Day, helping bring greater awareness to this devastating disease and the families it affects across our state.
Together, we raise awareness and work toward a future where NEC is better understood, treated, and ultimately eliminated.
We honor the strength of these infants, support the families and clinicians who care for them, and reaffirm our commitment to advancing research, early detection, prevention, and ultimately a cure.”
Tennessee joins South Carolina, Texas, California, Utah, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Georgia, and Louisiana in recognizing NEC Awareness Day. The NEC Awareness Day Resolution has also been introduced in Congress by US Representatives Mike Thompson, Kevin Kiley, and Morgan McGarvey.
Join Senator Watson, the Bray family, and the NEC Society this May by raising NEC awareness in honor of babies like Brooks at NECsociety.org
The NEC Society is the world’s leading nonprofit dedicated to understanding and preventing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We are led by patient-families, clinicians, and researchers who share our vision: to build a world without NEC through research, education, and advocacy so that babies and families never have to experience the devastation of NEC.
